David-NelsonHere are five experiments this generation that simply did not work for various reasons. In retrospect, you might wonder why some were attempted at all.
These are my observations, in no particular order, and may or may not reflect the opinion of PSXE 🙂
Survival/Horror: A Horrific Transformation
Some gamers say Resident Evil left survival/horror behind with part 4; I am not among them. The soul of the game was still there, it was still more horror than action and it took serious attention to stay alive and not run out of ammo or health before that next typewriter. Resident Evil 5 was a pretty fun action game, but it was an action game that was hampered by trying to have one foot in the survival/horror genre, which it had abandoned everywhere else. People didn't like that. But all in all the game sold pretty darn well so you almost can't blame Capcom for thinking they should go down the same road.
So we got a spinoff that abandoned all pretense in Operation Raccoon City . It was not good, but for a game with scores so bad it sold decently due to a strange fascination with the multiplayer. But the Resident Evil name wasn't holding up and the quick time action extravaganza of RE6 got mixed reviews and didn't pull in half the sales of RE5. What's next? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe the response to Resident Evil: Revelations on PS3 and 360 will tell them something useful.
Those keen on the older style attached themselves to Dead Space , and rightly so. It was a dark and tense journey through the Ishimura, and I loved every minute of it. Dead Space 2 got some early flak for being action-y and I felt like it had gone from one side of the survival/horror fence to right on top of it. Then with Dead Space 3 it stepped over. There were technical problems that helped it nab some low scores, but I think it lost some sales for becoming an action/set piece game. Plenty of fans are still happy with Dead Space 3 , but like Resident Evil 6 , it failed to deliver on the hopes of nervous survival/horror fans and on reviews.
Straight-up survival/horror titles haven't done so great, though. So while we can be sure nobody has found the right formula for keeping the genre alive, we can also be certain that formula does not consist of turning them into action games.
Motion gaming for the hardcore:
I'll ask you not to trouble me with sales figures on this one because they don't matter. Kinect and Move sought to cash in on the success of the motion gaming gimmick while providing something a bit different from what the Wii already had. Move wanted to be very accurate; Kinect wanted to be… something. I think. But both wanted to bring something extra to the hardcore market in addition to the inevitable sports games, kids games and shovelware that was in the pipe. We got some voice interaction in Mass Effect 3 with Kinect, and Move offered a different experience with games like Killzone 3 and Heavy Rain .
As the masses ate up the advertising and bought these things for their kids or for a fictitious future hope of exercise, we waited for the killer apps. They did not come. And they won't. These technologies will get better and be used in supplementary roles in the next generation but they will stay where they belong: out of the hardcore realm as a main interface. As well they should.
DmC: Reboot Rejected
It was a daring move to reboot a series with such a devoted fan base and plenty of story left to explore. It was sacrilege to change the main character's hair. To try to appeal to a newer generation of gamers, Dante and pals got a modern facelift from western developer Ninja Theory of Heavenly Sword and Enslaved notoriety. While the game turned out pretty great and garnered high review scores, it sold like a blanket laced with smallpox, which is also how fans saw it. Sources tend to agree it didn't break the 1 million mark and I don't see a surge of later interest making it some kind of inverse sleeper hit.
So what does this mean? Is it worth trying to build a franchise from a fan flop? Devil May Cry 2 wasn't all that great and the series survived so maybe Capcom can pretend this never happened and go ahead with part 5. Although it's easy to see how the end to the reboot could launch right into the stuff fans already love, it's just as easy to conclude that Dante won't be returning any time soon, especially now that everybody has a bad taste in their mouth. I honestly feel bad for Ninja Theory. But they keep surviving somehow and are onto something else that most likely is not DmC2. I don't think people should blame them for this failed experiment, they delivered exactly what Capcom asked for and it was a great game to boot.
Final Fantasy: Flash, Trash, and the greatest insult to fans ever perpetrated.
It wasn't that Final Fantasy could do no wrong. Of course we'd had some problems in the past. Dirge of Cerberus is best left unmentioned, some people had a problem with the girl power behind FFX-2 , but for the most part you could always rely on those main entries. So when we all happily plunged into FFXIII and found out it was a game on autopilot inside a slim hallway we fans were… displeased. Despite the controversial move of going multiplatform, this game still did not push the numbers FFX had on PS2 alone.
But things happen right? It wasn't a horrible game, just not what anyone wanted. And hey, Final Fantasy Versus XIII was on the way soon and it looked fantastic. Then FFXIII-2 came and promised to fix all the things wrong with XIII. And they sort of listened, but like a mythological genie they took our requests and twisted them into a kind of mockery, which was poorly crowded into a disconnected experience with a storyline that was downright insulting to the intelligence. It sold less than half the numbers XIII pulled in. Then Versus became vaporware and the MMO Final Fantasy XIV became a rolling calamity that nobody could master or stop.
Then they announced Lightning Returns , which appears to be headed down another rabbit hole of poorly realized western ideals. In short, Final Fantasy has become unrecognizable, bereft of its legendary status, and a testament to the legacy of disgraced former Square-Enix CEO Yoicha Wada. It's actually still a mystery just what they were up to. Whether it was trying to get a whole new audience, appeal to westerners, or a case of some bad puffer fish we may never know. All we know is it didn't work and it doesn't seem to be over yet.
3D Gaming: A Stereoscopic Bespectacled Headache
With apologies to those few friends of mine who still think 3D gaming was some sort of advancement this generation I will not miss this trend now that it is on the wane. Don't get me wrong, I had my fun with 3D WorldRunner on NES back in the day but let's face it: This was never going anywhere this generation. Sony pushed it pretty hard for a while there. That made some sense what with their line of 3D TVs and all. Microsoft kind of tried to catch up but there really wasn't any need; the fad never had legs. It cut frame rates, required expensive and annoying technology, and gave many people raging headaches.
Some support will continue but it's clear that 3D gaming won't be on anybody's priority list in the next generation. I think Playstation Executive Shuhei Yoshida said it best to IGN:
" 3D was a big thing a couple of years ago — we made it a big thing because it was lead by the consumer electronics side of Sony and we liked what we could do on PS3 using 3D stereoscopic. But now the consumer electronics side of Sony, or all of the companies have shifted focus from 3D TV to something else, so if they're not talking about it, why would we? ”
One of the great things about a new generation is that there is an opportunity to put mistakes like these behind us. I just hope everybody learned something. So, what else hasn't worked this generation?
One thing that really upsets me is to buy a game and instead of playing instantly, I have to download an update or patch to fix something that had to be done before the game was release.
Another thing that bother me is too many sequels.
I agree, Metal Head. I hate buying something brand new on day one and spending a lot of time just updating it, so that it can be played for the first time. I would rather they give a little later release date, spend more time testing it to ensure that it's truly ready to go, and releasing it completely done.
I will have to object to 3D gaming not working: For me personally 3D gaming has become a milestone, no less. I think it is absolutely *fantastic* to do my gaming in 3D, to return to old 2D visuals in gaming is a huge step back to something I don't want to return to.
I know others see it differently, but here's my tale:
When I upgraded my PC rig I bought a gaming screen that was bundled with Nvidia 3D Vision tech, and the genius with that solution is that the 3D support is in the graphics drivers, so the individual games don't have to do anything special to support 3D. That in turn means a massive 3D support straight out of the box, pretty much every game you own can be played in 3D (although with various quality, a surprisingly large share of the games renders just plain excellent).
And I tell you guys, it doesn't take a full tps/fps to fully enjoy 3D.
Take just a simple top-down action RPG like Torchlight: To see your character wandering around down there in the woods with the treetops reaching out for you just slightly out of your screen, man that view just never gets old. It is fantastic.
Or a plain side scrolling game like Trine 2, having the backgrounds a tad deeper into the screen just adds so much *space* to the visuals, the sparks from the wizards stick sparkling in the thin air as opposed to being merged into everything else.
I tell you, 3D is *great* for gaming – especially when you are sitting close to the screen. I sure hope it will be a tightly integrated part of the PS4. In fact I will be really disappointed if it's not.
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/17/2013 3:39:19 AM
I knew you might object, and you do speak for a lot of people, which is why for this community I added an industry quote from Sony on the matter and where it stands in the next gen 🙂
Yeah you played it safe there. Sneaky! 😉
But the next playstation would not *need* to support the consumer electronics side of Sony, as far as I understand the Nvidia 3D technology only requires Nvidia graphics card and *any* screen that can deliver at least 120fps. Of that I am pretty certain.
So I don't see why they can't do something similar with the PS4, a 3D support built around the ATI chipsets that are inside every PS4. That would mean that noone would need to buy dedicated 3D screens, just hook up a infrared transmitter to the PS4 that communicates with your glasses and a fast enough TV and off you go!
I still have hope. 🙂
But really, 3D gaming via the screen is of course only "proof of concept" that 3D gaming rocks. Even cooler sounding is 3D integrated in the glasses ala Oculus Rift, where you actually turn your head and watch the 3D world around you.
Man I get the chills just by thinking about it.
3D ftw!
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/17/2013 9:37:34 AM
Well, 3D isn't for me. It always gives me a splitting headache, and it does the same for most people I know, actually. I'd also much rather have the higher resolution and better textures, because I never feel more immersed with 3D. I'm always painfully aware it's just a gimmick and if I move my head even slightly in the wrong direction, that gimmick is easily confirmed.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 4/17/2013 1:09:38 PM
Then the 3D technologies obviously must differ a lot because it doesn't have to be like that, Ben.
There's no change in resolution when I go from 2D to 3D (it's only a keypress away to change mode), no change in textures either. The only difference is that the picture changes from flat to 3D. Same resolution, same sharpness, the picture is rock solid at 60fps. I can move my head as much as I like, makes no difference. I play for hours with no fatigue, it feels like wearing shades, that's all.
But the Nvidia glasses are active. They need to be turned on before you use them, and the graphics card communicate with them via infra-red transmission. So it's quite different technology – and apparently much better.
So you guys really should not write off 3D completely as a gimmick just because it worked poorly on the PS3. 3D *can* be totally awesome.
Now what's interesting is that as far as I am aware AMD has not launched a similar 3D tech for their cards as Nvidia has – yet. Will this be introduced with the next gen consoles?
Let's see at E3…
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/17/2013 12:01:28 PM
My 3D glasses for my HDTV have to be turned on as well.
Doesn't really matter. My brain just isn't fooled by 3D and as such, it looks ridiculous. It's like something is trying to be realistic and failing miserably, that's all.
Remember that everything improves with time. How you experienced it on the ps3 is not how it will be on the ps4. What you got is tech from the very start of 3D gaming. I think you'll change your mind once you get to try it on newer technology.
Unless, of course, you are one of those who can't comfortably see pictures in 3D. That is a condition I know is very real. That's unfortunate, if so!
Cause really: It's darn cool. 😉
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/17/2013 1:34:42 PM
@ Beam,
Yeah, and the biggest disappointment about 3D not keeping up its momentum heading into the next gen is that the new consoles would allow devs to bring the frame rates back up and not hurt the performance of the game.
Higher frame rates may have solved the problem with people getting headaches too. By adding more frames/second it might have caused the 3D to be perceived by the eyes as more natural and not caused them to strain in the first place.
@ Ben,
You bought the wrong 3D TV, friend. Not to say that the active shutter 3D is bad, and I would take a gorgeous Sony monolith 3D TV in a heartbeat, but I did a side-by-side comparison, and the passive 3D works just as good as the active shutter 3D in my opinion.
I have never gotten headaches with prolonged use of passive 3D, and I have never used active shutter glasses for long periods of time, so I don't know if they would affect me or not.
My next TV will be a 60"+ LG passive 3D TV, but that's a few years away.
Last edited by JROD0823 on 4/17/2013 3:40:23 PM
I'm with Beam on this one. I really like it even though I only have a few options. It was a hard to make decision on whether or not it was worth the investment, but someone has to keep this going.
It adds a nice touch to the game. I thought the Motorstorm Apocalypse was okay… In 2D. But the 3D option brought more life to it. The Hobbit in 3d was nice and I don't even think they were trying to cater to the 3D option.
3D would be best if it was more accessible and better polished. Here's to hoping it gets at least a second chance in the next gen.
Things are happening on the 3D field and I am very happy – yes almost relieved – to see I am not alone in this discovery cause I would be so sad to see this disappear again!
JROD0823,
I have not experienced any problems with my active glasses and I seriously play with them on *all* the time these days.
I think I've seen those LG tvs on display and yes, the 3D through those passive glasses are really gorgeous.
Didn't some analyst predict a couple years ago that by this year or next that 80% of us would have a 3DTV. And 3D would be embraced and loved and stuff.
I'm okay with 3D. Id like it more if the first 30min didn't make me feel mildly dizzy and motion sick.
Temjin: I don't know, I don't pay much attention to "analysts". Those who call themselves that are usually just persons with a big ego and little practical insight, just a inflated belief in their own theoretical proficiency. We find those kind of people everywhere, both in the professional and personal sphere.
But as for me, I've never been interested in 3D for my regular TV viewing. I do enjoy 3D in movie theatres so I have nothing against it in itself, but I just haven't seen the need at home.
But in regards to gaming that is a different matter altogether. I have become a fan, no less (as if there was any doubt after these posts here 🙂 ).
I've only experienced 3D gaming on my rig at home and that is a newly upgraded PC so it's pretty much top of the line so I don't know if it is just me who is very tolerant towards this stuff or the equipment that gives such a steady visual quality that it avoids some of the problems with 3D, but I don't experience any sickness or or dizziness at all and neither has those (few) who's tried it at my place.
But these things *do* vary between people, cause I got a buddy who got motion sickness by playing *any* first person game on regular (2D) screens. He could not do it.
Interestingly enough however, it turned out to be something he got over once he got more used to it. Cause today he is *really* good at Battlefield, can play for hours straight.
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/18/2013 4:09:39 AM
I don't know if I would call it a milestone, but I do like it. I wouldn't pay a whole lot extra for it, but 3D gaming and movies are better than I thought they would be. I also have the 3DS and I really like the experience in a handheld version. I actually like motion gaming better and really do think that it could improve some hardcore games. All in all, though, as much as I do like the 3D and motion gaming, I would stop short of saying that they should dominate the industry. I still like the old ways best.
To all the 3D fans who've posted comments: I completely agree – I personally am a 3D fanatic and make many purchases based on that support in a game. Playing games on my 55" 3D HDTV (Passive 3D or glasses-free) is an incredible experience and I'm absolutely hooked on it. Enjoying the "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Trilogy" PS3 game now and will then move onto the "Hitman Trilogy" and "Tomb Raider Trilogy" afterwards =D
Last edited by VermithraxDagon on 4/19/2013 7:02:57 AM
A very good selection of points, some I would definitely pick up upon myself. Though there are a few others I have in mind.
Guns in Gaming: The rise of the First Person Shooter:
Okay it is not my favourite genre from the start, but it seems that they have just fully invaded this generation. I don't have a problem with that alone but it has come to the point where there is becoming and imbalance and other genres just aren't being focused on. The Platformer for example, I love platforming games, Spyro & Crash were some of my all time favourite games. But the last platformer I enjoyed was probably was Crash Twinsanity… (I don't count Sonic Generations as it was more like compilation.) The reason being Ratchet & Clank brought in a shooter/platforming style and once Jak II copied it the genre was over. I don't want to have to resort to indie games for the genre, I want a full scale production. Then of course you get companies catching on to the wide spread appeal – Insomniac going from Spyro to Ratchet & Clank to Resistance – While being one of the FPS series I like (Well R1 & R2) it just seems a shame that the company has gone down that route. It's getting to the point where I am actually getting tired of using guns in games altogether.
Then there is DLC:
Yes it was around with PC gaming ages before us console gamers had to put up with it. But I just don't think it works well. The concept is great finished playing the game, here is some additional content. The problem is developers have exploited this to no end this generation releasing DLC day 1 at an extra price – It then becomes restricted content. I was far more content when I didn't have to worry about buying new releases due to this. I now fear that buying a game on day 1 will result in me being ripped of by a DLC included edition 4 months down the line – it has happened many times already. But if it is out there people will buy it and I can imagine that they've all made quite a profit, I just can't help but feel conned.
Now about Lightning Returns………
Was playing, WKCII when I came across an armour known as "Swordmage Armour".
When I put it on Leonard, I found out that the armour has some similarities to Lightning's new armour.
Agree with all these, but.. The legend of Zelda skyward sword showed motion control CAN work, unfortunately there's not really other examples, that game is great because of the wiimote, it just works. Tho I did play sports champions once. And it was really fun.
Hey.
I just came across an article on Siliconera that includes a quote from Tetsuya Nomura about Versus.
Nomura: Any information about Versus is very… sensitive, even within the company. We’ve been quiet about it for the past year, but the day of being able to remove its information ban has already been decided, and we’re currently preparing for that day. When that time comes, we’ll also reveal our reason for the delay of any form of announcement.
I think motion controls and 3D just didn't do anything for me.
I personally just want to push buttons and look at a tv. I don't want to waggle and move and spaz out while wearing glasses 😛
I have even tried out 3D at best buy, and played Uncharted 3 and to be 100% honest I didn't notice much of a difference other than the colours seemed more vibrant.
Which sucks because I noticed playing Uncharted 3 that something looked a bit worse about it than UC2 and maybe it was that the game was developed with 3D in mind? I don't know.
At any rate I think those things didn't work but it is a personal opinion really. Because it is obvious that a lot of people like 3D, and a lot of people bought wiis, moves, and kinects :
Dear Call of Duty,
Please go the **** away for about 10 yrs or so.
Love,
Fed Up
Nice write up, David. Look forward to reading more of your articles.
for me, Final Fantasy is the biggest fiasco of the generation and whatever is second, it isn't close. I did not find FF XIII to be a decent, or even competent, video game. It is one of the worst discs I have ever placed inside any of my PlayStation consoles. That they have made/are making not one, but TWO, sequels to this awful misdirection for the series continues to blow me away.
Thanks!
I have to agree with BeamBoom on this one. I think 3D brought another layer of depth (no pun intended). I understand there usually is a drop in frame rate and overall quality of the picture (console games) but this is due to aging systems that weren't initially set up for this kind of video output (hence the firmware update later in the console life).
With the beefier specs of the PS4, I expect to see some amazing 3D games. It would be wonderful to see that option on every game (like the video share) and the developers are not responsible for implementing it into their games. Of course it's possible as it's been done for a few years now. I wouldn't count 3D gaming out by a long shot.
And the headache thing? I only had a few people who said it made their eyes feel funny but in the end, they were all able to adjust and watch full movies or watch me play games in 3D for extended periods.
3D should stick around for a little longer, especially with the advancement of tech from the red/blue glasses.
Yes, it is important for people to realize that we are at a very, very early stage of 3D gaming. We've only seen the introduction yet.
In any case, 3D has NOT been embraced as a gaming mainstay. Motion gaming has, but not really for the hardcore games imo.
That's true World. So there's nothing wrong in your article. This is essentially just fans hoping for it to last. 🙂
I actually like a lot gaming in 3D now and then. It is not a must have but it is nice to be able to use it. Datura is a fine example of the benefits of 3D even the game is below average, but there is a huge difference playing it in 3D.
About DmC… I think that was the gamers who didn't work. The game is pretty solid and a fine action game by a great developer.
And the fans just missed the oportunity to play a good game, what it's a shame.
If you're a gamer, you should play the best games, not reject them because of prejudices
I agree, it just doesn't change the fact that it basically flopped and thus was a bad idea.
Yeah, I friended tons of people over the years that had the balls to turn right around and point blank hit me up for money so that they could buy games off of PSN.
Needless to say I immediately unfriended them and blocked their IDs.
It's the rare ones like them that can give online gaming a bad name.
Last edited by JROD0823 on 4/17/2013 4:29:20 PM
Wow that never happened to me, though I did get some weird friend requests that were some kind of spam that I didn't understand. What a bunch of deadbeats.
DmC: I thought it was a very good game and I liked new direction for the franchise plus I believe Ninja Theory don't get enough credit for making good action games.
But I just wonder did false bad word of mouth from classic Dante fanboys have some impact? I remember when the game first dropped I saw guy that was going to every positive DmC video and bashing it.
I hope Capcom continue with this DmC universe and not cave in to butt hurt fanboys who hate change.
Last edited by JDC80 on 4/17/2013 3:35:06 PM
I think the fans just banded together to boycott the changes, I loved DmC but I have to admire their influence. I wish I had had that opportunity with FFXIII, but we didn't know it would suck until we already bought it.
I like KZ3 and AC3 in 3D